I had the good fortune to conduct research in Kenya during the late 1980s and early 1990s on a game ranch just outside of Nairobi (near the town of Machakos). It was a wonderful experience, and of course I was able to spend some time at the National Museum (I even received fossil samples (non-human) from the museum for analysis in my dissertation). I always enjoyed the museum, particularly the outdoor "snake park" exhibits. Here are two of my favorites:

This guy was always fairly active for your typical crocodile...but what I really got a kick out of were the signs posted all along the fences:

I also loved the signs in the middle of the open area housing venomous snakes:

I really hope the museum rejects the insane opinion of a superstitious, mideaeval-thinking bishop who seems to be more comfortable with mythology than reason.

About Me

Christopher O'Brien is an Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at California State University, Chico and Adjunct Faculty at Lassen Community College, Susanville. His day job is as the Forest Archaeologist for Lassen National Forest in northern California. He received his BS in Anthropology from the University of California-Davis and a MA and PhD in Anthropology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is currently working on the zooarchaeology of several cave and rockshelter sites in northern California, and the historical ecology of several species. He has also been directing archaeological excavations in western Tanzania since 2002.
Views expressed on these pages are those of the writer and do not reflect those of the US Forest Service or any other land management agency except where explicitly indicated and where that view has been made public by the agency itself. I support the US Forest Service's mission; to me, the concepts of the USFS are a creed, sacred, and I feel a duty to pass on my concerns to anyone who'll listen. Any criticisms I advance stem from concern and hope.